Everything you need to know about your 5-Word Speech like getting on stage at the big show on Monday, May 16th, killing it with your historic 5-Word Speech and uploading your team’s speech. Read below for a few tips and FAQs.

–How to Make The Stage
–How to Record and Upload Your Speech
–Tips for Recording a Great Speech
–How to Share Your 5-Word Speech

How to Make The Stage

While all Webby Winners are encouraged to record and upload a 5-Word Speech (more on than below), only a few attending live will get to do it on stage. There are four ways to make the Webby stage: 

1. The Best Ideas. Have an awesome idea for your on-stage moment at the show? Let us know your plans. We pick the most creative, fun, quirky and sometimes, weirdest, 5-Word Speeches to grace the stage. Let us know your plans for your 5-Word Speech at pickme@webbyawards.com or tweet @TheWebbyAwards by Friday, May 6th.

Need inspiration? Watch our all-time highlight reel of the best 5-Word Speeches in Webby history!

2. Randomizer. If you’re attending Webby Official Portrait Day on Sunday, May 15th, the Webby Randomizer will select a set of lucky Winners to deliver their speech on stage at the show. Only those who attend are eligible. Book your portrait time now.

3. Popularity. Winners who received the most votes in this year’s Webby People’s Voice will be invited to deliver their 5-Word Speech on stage. If that is you, our team will be in touch.

4. Crowdsourced Speeches

Join fellow Winners on Twitter for Webby 5-Word Speech Crowdsourcing Day on Thursday, May 5th and ask followers for help with your #Webby5WordSpeech. What you get back could be awesome enough to land you on stage. Learn more about it here.

Record and Upload Your Webby 5-Word Speech

All Webby Winners have the opportunity to upload and share their 5-Word Speeches as part of a special moment in The Webby Awards Show. 

The Winner’s Speech site will be open for you to upload your team’s speech(es) between Tuesday, May 3rd and Thursday, May 12th.

Please Note: You should record and upload one speech per piece of winning work. If your project won both a Webby Award and a Webby People’s Voice Award, you only need to record one speech. If your project won in multiple categories, you will still only need to record one speech. Here’s what to keep in mind for your video: 

-Recording: You can record on any smartphone, through Zoom, or another platform of your choice. 

-Orientation: All uploaded videos should be horizontal. This will ensure something (or someone) vital isn’t cropped out of the video. 

-Framing: All uploaded videos will be cropped into a square. When recording, please make sure you are centered in the frame.  

-Include a Thumbnail: Along with your video, please upload a thumbnail photo to represent your team.

-File Size: File size should not exceed 20MB

-Devices: If you’re recording on an iPhone, you should be fine. If you’re using an Android, send your speech to upload via Google Drive, Dropbox, or Whatsapp as a document attachment. It will help ensure source quality is retained. All Winners will receive details on where and how to upload your speech on Tuesday May 3rd.

Tips for Recording a Great 5-Word Speech

1. Find Your Light. Whether you choose to record at home or in a studio, pay attention to your lighting. Grab a ring light if you have one, or a few lamps to ensure you are well lit. Another tip: make sure you aren’t backlit, and try to avoid harsh fluorescent light if you can.

2. Try a Few Takes. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to try out a few takes, right? Our team is not editing these videos, so whatever you send is what will be uploaded on the Webby Awards XXV site. Watch it, try it a few times and take your time. You’ve got this!

3. It’s Cool to Be Square. Like we mentioned, all videos will be cropped into a square on our website. So, make sure your background is only filled with things you’ll want memorialized forever.

4. Crack a Joke, If  That’s Your Thing. It sounds easy, but this can be a tough one: try to be funny. If you are a Webby Winner, that’s a huge deal, so you should try to have fun with your speech. Enjoy what you are saying, and if you think you can be funny, go for it. Try slapstick comedy. Dark humor, is more your thing? That’s okay, too. Aim for the LOL.

5. Be Poignant. Sometimes it’s better to read the room. If the project you’ve won for is more serious in tone or subject matter, try speaking from the heart. If you’ve won for a project that is more serious, or purpose-driven in nature, maybe try imparting an important life lesson.

6. Be Creative. It’s the Internet after all! Creativity is always welcome here. Use costumes and props. Don’t forget about your background—if you have access to an amazing backdrop or location, definitely use that. The more visually appealing your video is, the brighter your speech will shine.

How to Share Your 5-Word Speech

On Monday, May 16th at 3pm EDT, all Winners, including those who upload a 5-Word Speech or deliver one on stage at the show, will be sent their 5-Word Speeches via email and text message! All speeches will include a pre-roll for The Webby Awards Show and will be optimized to share on social media. We encourage you to participate in the fun by sharing your speech at the show happens, using #Webbys.